Olympic champion Chalmers gives a thumbs up to heart surgery

SYDNEY (AP) Olympic swimming champion Kyle Chalmers has had successful surgery on his heart, reporting a ''double thumbs up'' in a social media post.

The 18-year-old Chalmers, who won the 100-meter freestyle gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last year, withdrew from the upcoming world championships in order to undergo surgery for a worsening heart condition.

Chalmers has supraventricular tachycardia, or recurrent rapid heartbeat, that is normally not life-threatening but can impact on his quality of life. A previous operation didn't work.

''Double thumbs up because this time my heart surgery was successful! Thank you all for the support,'' Chalmers posted on Instagram after surgery this week.

He placed second to Cameron McEvoy at the Australian titles in April, and decided last month to undergo the story.

Chalmers said it was a difficult decision to miss the world championships, but he did so with a longer-term view, setting his sights on the Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast in 2018.

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